How to make closing a sale easier than ever

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The dos and don’ts when offering your services to potential clients

I’ve been looking for a great marketing consultant for a little while.

The last two I met with didn’t work out. The conversations went well, but somehow at the end when they presented their service offering to me -- I immediately knew they weren’t the right fit.

I politely told them I needed to think about it. I wasn’t lying, it’s just that I was 99%, not 100% sure they were the right fit.

I didn’t think about it too much more until recently while I was helping some clients create products and packages in their business that would enable them to increase the average fee per client.

My clients had the basic packages done which was great, and then it struck me that they had no idea HOW TO PRESENT it to their clients.

This meant that at least one of these things inevitably happened at every sales meeting:

They had to justify why their packages cost as much as they did (even though they were great value!)

Potential clients would leave meetings with a lot of questions on how it would work and/or whether or not it was the right fit for them.

Potential clients would ask to be sent a brochure or something they could take home.

And then it hit me. That’s the experience I was getting with the marketing consultants I’d been speaking with.

It wasn’t necessarily that we weren’t the right fit, it’s just that the way they offered their services to me didn’t give me the experience that I was making the right choice in deciding to work with them!

So many service providers are losing sales because of this challenge right at the end.

In the Licence to Bill 12 Step Sales Process, each step is equally important. The offer process takes up 3 out of the 12 steps - meaning that it's a significant part of the process. I’m going to share with you the basic idea so you can stop losing potential clients who would actually be a fit to work with you.

When I do, you’ll realise it’s not about “closing the sale” as many sales people talk about. Rather, it’s about giving clients confidence and certainty.

The “trusted formula” principle

You’re all experts at what you do, and you’ve probably got a lot of experience doing it. That’s why so many of you say things in your bio like “I’ve got in excess of X years experience” or “I started in this industry X years ago”.

But clients don’t really buy years of experience. Rather, they buy into what the years of experience have taught you.

That is, they want to know “is there a tried and tested way of doing things that will help people like me create the outcome I want?”

And most of you could answer YES to that question.

Think about all the clients you’ve worked with through the years of experience you’ve had. There is a way you’re doing things that help clients achieve specific outcomes.

The only thing you haven’t got is documentation on how you do it. And that’s exactly what clients want.

This is the secret to a great offer process – the “trusted formula”.

Think about the purchase you make – take baby formula, for example. You buy the brand with the trusted formula to help your child’s growth and development. Or just think more generally – would you buy from someone who tells they’ll fix your problems by seeing how they go, or from someone who has a 5 step process for solving your problem?

Imagine if you could present your services to your clients in a way that showcases your trusted formula, created by simply putting onto paper everything that’s in your head.

By doing this, your clients will:

Better understand what it is you’re proposing to do for them;

Have confidence that you know what you’re doing; and

Remember more of what you said about the service – when you help someone understand and give them confidence, the brain likes it!

Actions for you to implement

Choose one service that many clients buy

Document the steps you take to help clients get the result they want

Turn it into a simple “trusted formula” you can easily explain to clients – use the 30 second test (can I explain it in 30 seconds or less?)

I am a speaker, published author, sales strategist and coach to small businesses.
Over the past decade, I've worked with some of the largest organisations in the world, including PricewaterhouseCoopers, Macquarie Bank and have been invited to speak at the National Audit Conference hosted by the Institute of Chartered Accountants. I'm brought in by clients increase their revenue.
I run a 3 day sales and communication workshop where I teach my 12 step sales process. www.licencetobill.com.au

Questions

Comments (3)

Excellent article Jenny - it really got me thinking :)
So does the trusted formula also take into account that you are also the trusted adviser? The whole trusted adviser thing has a been a big push by the sales gurus of recent times ~ but can wear thin if the outcome for the client has less substance or is difficult to communicate.